Editors Note: Every week, we’ll be bringing you brief question and answer sessions from Baldwin County citizens just like you, as we remember and celebrate our county’s past, present and future.

1. What is one of your favorite things about Bay Minette?

Having grown up here, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the historical impact Bay Minette has had on Baldwin County over the last 115 years, beginning with the “removal” of the county seat from Daphne to Bay Minette in 1901.. There's a lot of history there and a lot of personal family history there for me. Primarily how the city of Bay Minette became the Baldwin County seat and how that affected the growth of the county as a whole.

2. What is your association with the history of the Baldwin County seat?

My great, great grandfather, Joe Blackburn, was one of the men who carried out the “removal” of the county seat from Daphne to Bay Minette. After that, my grandfather started practicing law in Bay Minette in around 1928. My dad has practiced here since the mid 80s and I started practicing here in 2012. That's really what sparked my interest in the county seat in college. I came back to Bay Minette and sat in the archives, which is a Baldwin County history treasure trove. A lot of people have heard the rumor how the courthouse was stolen in the middle of the night and moved to Bay Minette on ox drawn wagons, but I set out to find out what really happened. I think it's important for us to know how Baldwin County got to be what it is. I can't overstate the importance of the county seat of Bay Minette as a town. I think that has done more for the town than anything else.

3. Where do you see Bay Minette headed in the next 5 or 10 years?

I think Bay Minette's future depends on the quality of education and the quality of jobs we are able to provide in north Baldwin County.When you talk about the growth of a town, you start talking about a cycle where you want to have jobs, but to attract people for jobs, you have to have a good school system, and you have to have adequate funding for your school system and the community’s commitment to make it great. Those things are interrelated. My hope for Bay Minette in the next decade is that we will continue to do everything we can to make sure that cycle grows in a positive way. I think the future of Bay Minette is just as bright as any other part of the county.